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On the weekend of the
20th-21st February, over 30 women came together at Wycombe Judo
Centre, High Wycombe, to contribute to a fantastically successful
national 1st kyu and dan grading, specifically targeted at females.
Throughout the event
there was a great supportive atmosphere between the competitors
as they battled their way through many contests, displaying great
heart and skill, which was extremely refreshing to see.
The morning session commenced
with seven women, dan grade and above, competing for points towards
their next grade. Two players went on to line-ups, with Jordan
Doherty succeeding to complete this for 2nd dan after a brilliant
display of judo.
Moving into the afternoon
25 women 1st kyu’s added to the morning’s success story with initial
rounds resulting in a total of nine line-ups, of which two were
completed. Due to the numbers, many other players were given the
chance to pick-up points and everyone left with a FREE ‘Women
and Girls Initiative’ t-shirt.
Dave Horton-Jones, National
Director of Examiners said, “Having so many ladies attending the
event was really great and allowed the examiners to evenly match
all candidates, providing a credible, safer and more enjoyable
grading for everyone.”
Kim Tilley and a team of
female referees and officials worked exceptionally hard all day
to ensure a great experience was had by all and said, “The attendance
was fantastic and the next event should be even better.”
British Judo are committed
to providing resources and opportunity to encourage continued
participation at various events (new and established) through
the‘Women and Girls Initiative’.
Very often many women around
the country attend gradings which are very low in numbers reducing
the opportunity to grade. It is extremely important that we keep
this momentum going through the promotion and support of these
initiatives in our clubs and areas to ensure the growth and quality
of women participating in our sport.
The next National Dan Grading
will be held at High Wycombe on Saturday 10th April 2010 – remember
to book early to take advantage of the pre-book
£13.00 offer and the free t-shirt.
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